


up and down the west coast

by phoarda



Series: Erejean Week 2015 [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Erejean Week, Road Trip, erejean week day 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 08:00:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3642702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoarda/pseuds/phoarda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two roadtrips. Two boys who can’t seem to be together, but still can’t seem to stay apart. </p><p>Written for <a href="http://erejean-week.tumblr.com/">Erejean Week 2k15</a>, Day 1 - Road Trip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	up and down the west coast

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: this is inspired in part by the many erejean road trip fics out there. It is also inspired by this recent art by aymmischurros: [[x]](http://aymmichurros.tumblr.com/post/114882667975/honey-youve-got-a-big-storm-commin)
> 
> so. this is...2k longer than i was aiming for. this is...really messy and last minute but! here it is.  
> at least it was somewhat fun to write.
> 
> thanks so much to [alice](http://girlshinji.tumblr.com/) for looking this over before i posted it!

**Summer 2007**

It started with a road trip.

When Eren and Jean were kids, their mothers were best friends.

This was not despite Eren and Jean’s animosity. In fact, it was due to their constant fighting that they even became friends in the first place.

After all, when your sons end up at the principal's office a few times a month, you tend to see a lot of each other. The boys were the troublemakers of their 4th grade class, the kind of nightmares that teachers got migraines over. So they became friends, through their frequent meetings and common interests - mainly, the fact that their sons were utter boneheads.

Eren and Jean couldn’t stand each other, but that didn’t matter to Carla and Jeanine. _They_ got along just great, and being dragged along for a 24 hour drive to go camping together was something the boys would just have to deal with.

And surprisingly enough, for the first hour or so, it isn’t that hard. It’s even a little eerie, how silent the backseat is. Of course, they were both fast asleep within minutes - they’d left at half-past five, after all.

Then the sun comes up, and the boys start to stir.

Eren pipes up first. “Mom, I’m hungry.”

Carla, who’s driving, glances back in the rearview mirror. “Already?”

“He’s always hungry,” Jean grumbles from his side, wriggling around in his Madagascar blanket. Eren ignores him, jutting his face out to his mother’s shoulder.

“Maaa,” he says, and she sighs, looking over to her co-pilot.

Jeanine rifles around in her backpack for food, and comes up with a cheese stick. Sheepishly, she turns to face the boys. “The food’s in the trunk.”

Eren pouts but makes no comment, and Jean just shrugs and goes back to sleep.

+

There’s something about being in the car - maybe it’s the constant movement, or the hum of the engine, or the rolling scenery that passes them by - that makes it incredibly easy to fall asleep.

So easy, in fact, that a good majority of the trip is actually spent napping. At least, that’s how it is for Jean.

When he wakes up again they’re still driving through a whole bunch of nothing. Eren’s got his DS out, and 8-bit Pokemon theme music fills the backseat area. In the front, both women are engrossed in some conversation about the complexities of raising a child.

Jean tunes them out and leans closer to Eren, who’s apparently lost his stylus, and keeps poking with his index finger at the grody bottom screen. He watches for a while, still in the process of waking up.

“Use the Safari Ball,” he mumbles eventually, and Eren nearly jumps out of his own skin.

In his panic, he almost drops his game, knocks over the banana peel in his lap and ends up shoving his elbow in Jean’s nose.

“OW,” Jean screeches.

“You scared me!”

“That hurt!” Jean says, swinging his fist into Eren’s side.

This time, he really does drop his DS. With a horrified gasp, Eren lunges towards Jean.

The fight doesn’t last long, but it ends with the both of them nearly in tears. Carla finds a gas station, figuring she needs to fill up the tank anyway, and Jeanine takes Jean inside.

“ _Deux d'entre vous ont besoin de se calmer,_ ” she mutters, taking Jean by the hand as he sniffs. But there’s nothing more that she hasn’t said already, so she lets him take his bathroom break without further admonishment.

+

It’s nightfall when they get to the campsite. Carla and Jeanine are beat, and they pass out as soon as the tent is set up, but Jean can’t sleep.

He ends up waking Eren with his restless tossing and turning.

“What are you doing?” he hisses. Their sleeping bags are spread out side-by-side, but Eren is needlessly loud, as always.

“I need to pee,” Jean whispers back. “And be quieter!”

“So go!”

“I’m not going by myself, it’s dark,” Jean argues, and Eren sighs dramatically.

“Fine.” He unzips the bag and stumbles to his feet. Jean wriggles out of his covers and follows him out. They find a little bush nearby, and after kicking it a couple of times to try and scare off any lurking bugs or critters, Jean takes a leak.

Meanwhile, Eren wanders off a little ways, muttering something Jean can’t hear. Anxious about being left on his own, Jean zips his fly and trips in the darkness after Eren. “Okay, I’m done let’s go-”

“Shh,” Eren says, one of his hands landing on Jean’s shoulder, his bony fingers gripping tight. “Look.”

Jean follows his gaze and looks up. Above them, the night sky stretches wide, big and huge and darker than he’s ever seen it before. It really is pitch black, and the dark backdrop serves as a perfect way for the stars to shine bright.

It’s massive, big and overwhelming, swallowing everything up, erasing any evidence of light in the sky. It kind of takes his breath away, because it’s just so _much_ to look at.

Neither of them say anything for a while. Eren’s hand drops from his shoulder. The only sound between them is their heavy breathing, and after Jean gets dizzy from looking up for too long, he looks over at Eren.

“Cool, huh?”

Jean nods.

“You know any constellations?”

“Yeah,” Jean says.

“Well?” Eren prompts, after another minute of quiet. He shuffles his feet. “Which ones do you see?”

“I’m trying to look, you jerk,” Jean says. “Umm. I think that one’s...Oree-on.”

Eren squints at him. “Are you sure?”

Jean ignores him. “That’s Ursula Major. And that over there is the Big Dipper-”

“I know that one, but I think you’re making the others up.”

“I’m not! Ask my mom-”

“I’ll go ask her right now!”

“Do it! She’ll tell you I’m right, you poopy-head.”

Needless to say, neither Jeanine nor Carla was happy when Eren came crashing back into the tent, with an indignant Jean in tow.

**Summer 2015**

They’re eighteen years old when they decide to take a road trip together again.

Well. It’s less of a decision than it is the default. Jean’s doing it to save money on gas, Eren can’t drive because he failed his drivers test...three times, and since neither of them know anyone else headed to southern California well enough to catch a ride, they’re kind of stuck with each other.

They ended up going to the same university, somehow, without even realizing it. And then, the same way, they ended up making many of the same friends, and taking the same classes...

Eren, for one, looks forward to being back home for a while. It’s their first year of college and he’s already homesick, and spring break happens to fall on his birthday (Jean’s, too). Jean feels the same way, but he’s not willing to admit it, so Eren’s enthusiasm is returned with half-hearted shrugs.

For obvious reasons, Eren doesn’t have a car yet, so they’re stuck with Jean’s rusty, rattling piece of junk. There’s a massive crack in the windshield, and rust has eaten away most of the paint. And because the car belongs to Jean, he figures himself in charge of the trip. He’ll be driving 24 hours straight, after all. They’re both too cheap to afford a hotel room.

Eren makes his objections very clear when Jean comes to pick him up early in the morning.

“Don’t call it morning, you dickwad, it’s 4AM,” Eren complains. He’s still doing some last-minute packing, despite the many times Jean texted him to be ready on time.

Well, he does have a point. It’s kind of a stretch to call it morning when the sun won’t be up for another few hours. But after Jean factors in a couple of pit stops for snacks and gas and the inevitable nap or two, it makes the most sense to leave early if they want to get there by nine.

And for as adorable as Eren’s terrible bedhead is, the constant whining it comes with sort of ruins it for Jean.

“Shut up already and let’s _go_ ,” Jean says.

Eren shoves some more shirts into his duffle bag, then yanks the blanket off his bed before following Jean to the front door, where they both pause.

Wordlessly, Eren dumps his pile of crap into Jean’s arms.

“I fucking _asked_ you to be ready,” Jean grumbles.

“Yeah, well, do you want snacks or not?”

“I fucking told you to be ready-”

“You assholes need to shut the fuck _up_!” comes Reiner’s less-than-pleased voice from the hallway. “Some of us are trying to sleep!”

Eren winces, and Jean settles for glaring at him while he shoves random junk food into a paper bag. It’s 4:31 by the time they get in the car, and already Jean can tell this is not going to go the way he wants it to.

“This was a terrible idea,” Eren says, and he keeps ranting while Jean attempts to start the car. “You know, we could have left at a time that actually made sense, but no, not for Jean-”

After a couple of stalls, Jean gets the engine running, but before he pulls out of his parked spot, he reaches over to pinch Eren’s nose. The scuffle that ensues is very clumsy on both their parts, and when Jean finally gets fed up with Eren’s morning breath, he shoves him off and shifts gears.

Despite the fact that they’re now in college, for all the wrestling they do, you’d think they were still in middle school.

+

For all his complaining, Eren’s out like a light by the time they get on the freeway, and he doesn’t even stir until the sun comes up. By then they’ve made it out of Washington state.

Jean gets to watch the sun rise in quiet peace, and it’s actually kind of nice. The sun is like an egg, freshly cracked and shimmering on the horizon like oil in a saucepan, quivering and yolky yellow. It peeks up at them from the west, and when it finally breaks free, it seems to spill across the entire horizon, covering the giant green trees that surround their road and even stretching out to stain the freeway itself, turning streaks of grey asphalt into pale shades of gold.

It’s just _begging_ for Jean to take a picture. So Jean shakes Eren awake, instructs him to take the wheel, and fumbles with the lens case.

“Wow,” Eren comments, as Jean leans over him roll down the window and take the picture. “Nice view.”

Something in his tone is too amused to be serious, and when Jean looks back, he finds Eren staring up his shirt, where it’s basically hanging over Eren’s head.

Jean snaps a few shots of the view, high and low and then a vindictive one of the dried drool on Eren’s face, then returns to his seat. “You’re hilarious.”

Jean takes back control of steering, and Eren takes a few more moments to stretch, popping the bones in his elbows and shoulders.

“Breakfast?” he asks.

Jean doesn’t dignify that with an answer, because _hell no Eren Jeager, we are **not** stopping for breakfast_.

Eren settles his grungy sock-clad feet on the dashboard, his pyjama pants slipping down to his knees. Furry legs bare, he contemplates the bird poop decorating windshield for a little while, then clicks off his seat belt and climbs into the backseat.

“See, this is why you failed your driving test,” Jean says, getting a faceful of Eren’s underwear-clad butt when he turns to face him. “And get back up here, you’re gonna get me a ticket.”

“God, I forgot how much you _nag_ ,” Eren says, and Jean huffs, trying to watch both the road and Eren’s clumsy attempts at putting on pants. “Also, breakfast?”

“We’re not stopping for breakfast,” Jean says. Eren throws himself back in the passenger seat, landing with the paper bag in his lap.

“Whatever,” he grumbles. “I’ve got this, anyways.”

He pulls out a croissant from the bag, and Jean’s fingers tighten on the wheel.

“Don’t make a mess,” he says, but it’s too late, and Eren’s already shed a dozen little pastry flakes all over himself.

+

“Central Valley?” Eren says. “More like _Boring_ Valley. Is there anything around here whatsoever?”

There isn’t, really. Other than the many crops, an occasional small town and the trucks carrying cartloads of tomatoes they pass by, there really isn’t much to see. And it’s hot - really hot. Central Cali is brutal on this particular day, and Jean’s air conditioner is lamentably broken.

But Eren doesn’t seem to be fazed by the heat. It’s the boredom that gets to him. And Jean’s getting tired of hearing him complain.

“God, I'm so sick of all these fucking crops, there’s nothing to do or see, this is so boring-”

“ _Fine_ , you can use the radio.”

Eren leans forward so fast the seatbelt stops him halfway. It doesn’t take him long to figure out how to work the scanning button, and it doesn’t take long for him to have the volume up and some Top 40 hits playing.

Jean tries. He really tries. But it’s just…

“Your taste in music is just so _bad_ ,” he finally blurts out, after a half-hour of Eren switching from one pop-station to another.

“Excuse me? Fuck you-”

“I’m sorry,” Jean tries to amend, “But _really_? I thought you were better than this.”

“Better than this?”

Eren looks at him for a long, long moment. Honest-to-God just _looks_ , with an expression Jean’s never seen on him before, one that he can’t figure out. And when he finally opens his mouth again, what comes out is nowhere near what Jean expected.

“Get over yourself.”

Jean stares at him. And then it finally clicks, the look Jean couldn’t place. It’s disappointment.

In him.

Eren shuts the radio off and sits back. Jean’s still reeling from his words, trying to figure out what just happened.

“But it’s Katy Perry,” he eventually manages to sputter.

Eren stares resolutely ahead.

“Come on, Eren. Are you actually serious?”

This time he does respond, his face folding into an angry grimace. “Does it even matter? Who fucking cares?”

“It’s just bad music-”

“Again, who fucking cares? God, you’re so fucking judgemental.”

“What? You’re totally overreacting.”

“No, I’m not-”

“Yes you are, I’m just saying your taste in music is bad. You’re the one getting upset.”

“Maybe to your lame ass it’s ‘bad’, but that’s your terrible opinion.”

“Exactly!” Jean says. “It’s just an opinion, fuck.”

Eren shakes his head.

“Oh, come _on_. Really?”

Eren remains stubborn, even after Jean sighs and switches the radio back on.

+

“Let me drive,” Eren insists for the umpteenth time. “Please, there’s literally nobody on the freeway.”

“You’ll hit a trucker, Eren.” Jean looks around the gas station, wary of his surroundings now that it’s dark.

“Jeeaaaannnn.”

“No way, dude.”

The pump clicks, and Jean re-angles it, hoping that this’ll be their last stop (and knowing it won’t). It clicks a few more times, and he repeats the process, until the tank is well and truly topped off, and then Jean pays with cash.

Eren’s slumped over Jean’s door, pouting.

“No,” Jean repeats, rubbing his burning eyes. “You’re not driving.”

He breaks into a yawn, pawing at Eren to get out of the way.

“Look at you,” Eren begs. “You’re falling asleep, just let me driiiive.”

“No,” Jean says, with a tone that’s supposed to be firm, but wavers with another yawn.

They get in the car, and get back on the road. Eren grudgingly brings out more snacks, but it seems to have the opposite effect that Jean was hoping for, because now he can barely even keep his eyelids open.

“Fuck,” he mutters to himself, when he catches his head dipping for the umpteenth time. “What the fuck, I’m not an old man yet.”

“Yes you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Dude, you’re falling asleep.”

Jean starts looking for a good place to pull over and take a nap.

“Just let me drive. Thirty minutes, I don’t care. You can sleep and it’ll be _fine_.”

Jean can already feel himself starting to cave. They’re running hours behind schedule (he has no idea how) and all he wants is to just close his eyes and…

“JEAN!” Eren says, and Jean jerks awake.

“Fuck, okay, fine.”

He pulls into the shoulder and they switch seats. Jean wants to cry, he’s that tired. All he wants to do is close his eyes.

He watches Eren unsuccessfully try to start the car, then loses patience and reaches over Eren to do it himself.

Eren shoots him a look - _I got this_ \- then sets both hands on the wheel. Pointedly looking back before he does so, Eren merges back onto the empty freeway and inches the speedometer back to 80mph.

“Don’t go any faster than that,” Jean advises, exhausted.

“Quit worrying and go to sleep already.”

Jean settles back, still wary, still hesitating.

“How long ‘till we get to Bakersfield?”

“I don’t know. Wait...we should be there in…” Eren squints out the window, trying to see the freeway sign through the still darkness of the early morning. “Half an hour?”

“Okay, I’m taking a nap,” Jean decides, making himself comfortable against the window. “Wake me when we get there. Don’t get pulled over, or I’m ditching your ass on the side of the road.”

A few minutes pass, and Jean finds himself drifting off, into a pleasant, peaceful and quiet-

“Hey, you know what we should do when we get home?”

“Shut the fuck up, Eren.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr ([snk blog](http://bipolareren.tumblr.com/) or my [main blog](http://phoarda.tumblr.com/)!)
> 
> as always, any con crit/feedback/comments are greatly appreciated!


End file.
